Where can I find steel mountain bikes for sale?

[kalniel]

While I'm super-happy with my rigid aluminium adventure bike, n+1 has bitten early and I'm looking to supplement it with a MTB for woodland/downhill riding - as well as keeping the Mrs company on her old MTB.

But I remember thinking way back when I used to ride more that aluminium MTBs were too stiff for me and instead a cheap Raliegh Mustang (back then it was a MTB) was actually my ideal bike - just felt so nimble and able to take a punishment (which I gave it). Looking at the big shops now, the only MTBs I see in steel are fashionable single-speed affairs, which certainly aren't for me.

It seems like in the intervening years the trend has been to go aluminium to save weight, but then have to bulk them up for strength and add complex and heavy forks to soften the ride, so you're back to square one and have ended up spending (lots) more without saving any weight or functionality.

Are there any steel MTB makers still out there for the masses?

 

[dan_bo]

My shed

 

[dan_bo]

Steve Goff

 

[outlash]

There's a few UK makers of Steel MTB's, two that spring to mind are Genesis & Cotic.

 

[dan_bo]

One one do good affordable far-eastern steelies. I've been running mine for years.

 

[HarryTheDog]

orange P7
https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/p7-s

 

[Deleted member 35268]

http://surlybikes.com/ or

http://www.singularcycles.com/

 

[Blue Hills]

It seems like in the intervening years the trend has been to go aluminium to save weight, but then have to bulk them up for strength and add complex and heavy forks to soften the ride, so you're back to square one and have ended up spending (lots) more without saving any weight or functionality.

aha, I see you have twigged the bike marketing machine's evil plan.

Which involves such barminess, if you wander in to some London bikeshops, of trying to sell you a steel singlespeed (in an earlier age valued for economy and simplicity) as a premium fashion item for over a grand.

Don't voice your above opinion too loudly in some places or you'll be gently invited into the bike emporium's VIP area for a complimentary skinny latte, then taken out back and shot.

 

[Blue Hills]

Why not buy an old secondhand bike kalniel?

And then rebuild it with new appropriate* new bits.

* move quickly before they discontinue them as just too passe/good value

 

[Nibor]

Charge also do Tange Prestige models

 

[raleighnut]

Another vote for get an old frame and rebuild it. I had a Raleigh Mustang I'd built up (It got nicked when we were burgled) replaced it with an Outlander frame and built that up.

 

[Blue Hills]

To clarify my above post about "appropriate".

i didn't mean set off on a project to use just bits from the frame's original 80s/90s heritage - no need to go after the ossified heritage look. Just good simple tough functional stuff - may be more recent than the frame but no problem in my eyes - bikes are to be ridden/enjoyed, not treated as museum pieces/objet d'art.

 

[raleighnut]

^^^^^^^+1 My Raleigh 'Outlander' is mainly Deore, even has a Hollowtech 2 crank with external BB.

 

[kalniel]

Why not buy an old secondhand bike kalniel?

And the rebuild it with new appropriate* new bits.

* move quickly before they discontinue them as just too passe/good value

I had considered that.. but the makers have anticipated such and I find all manner of sizes have changed since the days of plentiful steel MTBs - oversized this and that, new wheel sizes etc. Maybe I should look into it more critically!

OK so it looks like there are a couple of makers still out there, though it's a shame there seems to be a premium for steel when I'd have thought it should cost less. I guess economies of scale.

 

[iandg]

On-one